King & Conqueror cast: who is in BBC drama with James Norton? Full cast
King & Conqueror is based on the events of 1066 ⚔
- The BBC is back with another epic historical drama.
- King & Conqueror is based on the Norman conquest in 1066.
- But who is in the cast with James Norton.
A brand new drama about the Norman conquest is set to start in just a few hours. The epic series will tell the stories of Harold of Wessex and William of Normandy.
Happy Valley favourite James Norton and Game of Thrones star Nikolaj Coster-Waldau will play the historic rivals. Two allies with “no design on the English throne”, who found themselves “forced by circumstance and personal obsession into a war for possession of its crown”.
All episodes of the show will be available to watch on BBC iPlayer at 6am today (August 24) and will also be broadcast on BBC One. The first episode will be on TV tonight at 9.10pm.
Who is in the cast of King & Conqueror?
For the epic drama about the pivotal events of 1066, the BBC has assembled quite the case. James Norton and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau play the rivals for the English throne, but they are not the only recognisable faces.
The full cast includes the following actors:
- James Norton as Harold Godwinson
- Nikolaj Coster-Waldau as William the Conqueror
- Clémence Poésy as Matilda
- Emily Beecham as Edith
- Luther Ford as Tostig
- Ingvar Sigurdsson as Fitzosbern
- Eddie Marsan as King Edward
- Juliet Stevenson as Lady Emma
- Jean-Marc Barr as Henry I of France
- Geoff Bell as Godwin
- Elliot Cowan as Sweyn
- Bo Bragason as Queen Gunhild
- Bjarne Henriksen as Earl Siward
- Oliver Masucci as Baldwin
- Clare Holman as Gytha
- Jason Forbes as Thane Thomas
- Joakim Nätterqvist as Thorolf
- Elander Moore as Morcar
- Indy Lewis as Margaret
- Ines Asserson as Judith
- Sveinn Ólafur Gunnarsson as Hardrada
- Léo Legrand as Odo
- Þorsteinn Bachmann as Baron of Brittany
- Louise Kim Salter as Agnes
Speaking about the show, James Norton said: “We didn't want one hero or one villain, we wanted the audience to be split and we wanted people to sit on the sofa and have someone on Team Harold and someone on Team William.”
He added: “I met President Emmanuel Macron recently at the event at the British Museum where the Bayeux Tapestry is being moved to, and I was very quick to reassure him that we had told the French story, the Norman story, with as little bias as possible.
“There are a lot of stories about William post the Battle of Hastings itself, and how he acted pretty monstrously, but there's no doubt that he had his own domestic space, his relationship with Matilda and his son. Nikolaj brought so much complexity to that role, and as a result, I think that the show feels balanced.”
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau said: “It's such a compelling story about these two men who at first you think that could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship, and then it becomes something quite different.
“I didn't know anything about this history, and once I started doing my research and reading about it, I was really surprised by how different Europe looked back then and how the influence of the Normans, the Vikings, how great that was at that time. I love history, I find it very interesting.”
He continued: “On the surface, it's a very macho world with men trying to claim what's theirs and reach their objectives through violence and war. It's important that you don't get caught up in that too much. It has to be grounded in a reality, the emotional stakes have to be real. Mike [lead writer] did a great job of finding these moments where you get behind what might be a very one-dimensional portrait of people going to war.
“It plays much more in the relationships that are within a family and the various characters. And we know, at the end of this, there might be a battle in some place called Hastings…”
If you love TV, check out our Screen Babble podcast to get the latest in TV and film.